


you and me in the library

by Blonde_Anne_Boleyn



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/F, bi Iko, idk how to tag lol, lesbian cinder and scarlet, lgbtq lunar chronicles, she/they Emilie, the lunar chronicles bookstore au that no one asked for, wlw, ze'ev kesley (briefly)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27690166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blonde_Anne_Boleyn/pseuds/Blonde_Anne_Boleyn
Summary: The Lunar Chronicles bookshop AU that no one asked for!25-year-old Cinder Linh has been working at Artemesia books for two years, when one day she meets a gorgeous redheaded stranger named Scarlet.
Relationships: Scarlet Benoit/Linh Cinder
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	you and me in the library

Cinder gently shoved the wheeled book ladder out of the way, and began to stack books on the shelf in front of her. She reached for a pile from the floor and arranged them in alphabetical order. It had been months since they’d received such a large delivery at Artemesia Books, and Cinder was stuck doing the chore by herself. Erland, the owner, was out of town for the month, and the only other two employees didn’t have shifts today. Not that she minded the quiet; she loved the stillness of the bookstore that was only found in rare moments like this. 

She finished the first shelf just as she heard the gentle sound of the store bell ringing. She turned to see the front door swing open and a young woman-about Cinder’s age walk in. Cinder was immediately captivated as the woman was gorgeous. Cinder’s eyes were drawn to her curly red hair that went halfway down her back. 

“Hi there” Cinder smiled at her “Welcome to Artemesia books, let me know if I can help you with anything”. 

The woman smiled back at her. “Oh thank you, but I’m really just browsing”. 

Cinder nodded and went back to stacking books as the woman looked around the shop. She carried the now much lighter box over to her favourite section of the store-the one that Cinder herself had co-created when she first got the job here: the lgbtq+ reads section. Cinder had been working here at Artemesia for two years now, but back when she’d only been here for a few months, she’d proposed the idea to Erland who loved it and allowed her to have full control over it. 

Cinder had been inspired to create it by her childhood bookstore. She had so many memories associated there and it truly saw her through the best and worst times. That bookstore had their own read with pride section, which was where Cinder had gotten her idea from. It was in that section where she saw herself truly represented in a book at 15. She realized she was a lesbian and through that section she was able to read about characters and people who were just like her. This was something so important for her, even 10 years later. 

Cinder gently put the last book onto the shelf before she brought the empty box back behind the counter. She set it down next to the slightly messy pile she had for recycling. She adjusted her ponytail and tidied the counter, which mostly consisted of shifting papers back and forth. Cinder was making sure all the pens worked when the woman made her way up to the counter with a large stack of books. 

“I take it you found what you were looking for” Cinder said 

The woman blushed slightly, she had a collection of freckles on her cheeks. “Oh yes!” 

“I’m glad!” Cinder was pretty sure she was blushing too, though it didn’t happen too often. “I’m Cinder by the way” 

“Scarlet,” the woman said by way of introduction, looking only slightly confused at how friendly this stranger bookstore worker was. 

Cinder gently put the books in a branded paper bag before handing it back to the woman. “Careful” she said “It’s a bit heavy” 

“Oh don’t you worry” Scarlet said “Years of this hobby have ensured I have strong arms if nothing else” She smiled back at Cinder. “I’ll definitely be back, you’ve got a great selection here and also great staff”. 

If Cinder hadn’t been blushing before, she was now. A quick “see you” was all she managed to get out without her voice cracking. She smiled at their brief interaction, and found she couldn’t seem to get Scarlet out of her head for the rest of the day. 

... 

Cinder woke up the next morning to the ringing sound of her alarm. She reached over for her cell to hit the snooze button. She always set her alarm for 7:50 even though she didn’t really need to get up until 8. She loved being able to gently wake up and because time-management wasn’t her strong suit, she found ways around it. 

The bookstore didn’t open until 9, so Cinder got up, had a shower, and dressed in one of her regulars: a button down shirt and a pair of black jeans. She tied her hair up into her usual high ponytail and did her very minimal makeup routine. 

Glancing at the time on her phone, she realized she had more than enough time to stop at one of her favourite cafes on the way to the shop. She was quite lucky that Artemisia was only a couple minutes walk from her apartment. 

She walked into the cafe and got in line as she read the menu. She didn’t know why she did this, as she already knew what she was going to get: a black tea and a chocolate chip muffin. 

She got her cup and small bag off the counter and sat down at one of the tables on the patio outside. She mindlessly scrolled her phone while eating breakfast when she saw a familiar face out of her peripheral. She looked up and saw none other than Scarlet coming out of the cafe towards her. 

“Hey! Cinder right? Do you mind if I take a seat” She motioned towards the other chair at her table. 

Cinder did not understand how anyone could have such confidence. She was however very happy to see her. She could feel her heartbeat rising and hoped she wasn’t blushing again. “Of course, sit, sit!” 

Scarlet was wearing a gorgeous blue sundress and had done her makeup to match it. She looked absolutely stunning. 

“How’s the reading going” Cinder was never one for good small talk 

Scarlet took a sip of her iced drink. “Oh really good! I wasn’t sure which one to start with, but I was craving something lighter so I checked out this ya contemporary. It’s a lesbian rom-com so what more could I ask for really”. She smiled and took another sip of whatever she was drinking. 

Cinder smiled back. Lesbian rom-com! She’d seen the book that Scarlet had been talking about yesterday, but hadn’t been sure-it could’ve been a gift or someone had asked her to pick it up for them. Cinder found herself very happy to know that Scarlet had bought it for herself. 

“You reading anything good right now?” Scarlet asked. 

“Oh this and that! I’m usually reading like a million different books at once so it’s hard to keep track sometimes”. 

“I get that”. 

“I’ll definitely check out the one you were talking about though. I requested that book for order but haven't read it yet!” 

“You requested it?” Scarlet asked inquisitively. 

“Yeah! I’m in charge of curating our lgbtq section among other things. This is what I’m the most proud of though, I actually created it back when I first got the job”. Cinder was very eager for her to know that even if it probably came across as extremely obvious. She didn’t care. She was this close to telling Scarlet that she was a “big girl in red fan”. 

“Oh that’s awesome!” Scarlet said “I’m actually trying to do something similar at the school I work at”. 

“You work at a school?” 

“Yeah, I’m a teacher's assistant for the local elementary school. I just transferred here, which is probably why we’ve been running into each other so much lately”. She laughed

Cinder was definitely falling for her “If you ever need any help or recommendations, I’m your girl”. 

I’m your girl, what the fuck was that? Cinder internally cringed at herself. 

Scarlet didn’t seem to notice. “Oh definitely! I’ve actually got to work now but I’ll see you around?” 

Cinder glanced at her watch “Yeah me too, see you around”

As she packed up, she watched as Scarlet left the patio and walked up the street in the opposite direction.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry it's a bit rough, I wrote the first draft a few months ago and hadn't edited it (or looked at it) until now! More characters to come in the next few chapters! I'll try to update as regularly as I can.


End file.
